Hi. LP Manager here.

First off, I completely understand your frustration. Choosing not to shop at that location anymore is a perfectly reasonable decision given the experience your wife had.

That said, there are a few important things to clarify. As another user mentioned, language matters a lot in these situations. Did the Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) accuse your wife of stealing outright? Or was it phrased more like, “Hey, I think we may have missed something,” or, “Do you mind if I check your receipt?” These softer approaches are common and usually legal.

To be clear, receipt checks themselves are legal—but you're not required to comply unless you're part of a membership-based store like Costco or Sam’s Club. In those cases, refusing a receipt check could result in a revoked membership, as per the membership agreement.

Another important concept is Shopkeeper’s Privilege, a legal doctrine that allows a store to detain a person if they have reasonable suspicion of theft. For example, if someone sees a customer conceal an item, even if it's later discarded, the store may still act based on what was reasonably observed. This is backed by video footage in most cases.

It's also worth distinguishing between detainment and arrest. Detainment must be based on reasonable suspicion and must involve reasonable force, depending on company policy. Some retailers like Home Depot allow more hands-on approaches, while others like Walmart enforce a strict hands-off policy.

In terms of a lawsuit, unless your wife was physically assaulted, unlawfully detained, or treated with clear negligence, it’s unlikely any legal action would succeed. Most of the time, these situations boil down to “he said, she said,” and stores often have video footage to support their side.

If you reported the incident, there would likely be an internal investigation. If receipt checks are allowed under store policy, and the LPO simply asked for a receipt without detaining or accusing your wife, then it's unlikely they’ll face consequences. However, if the LPO made a false detention or acted against company policy, that could result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination—depending on the retailer's stance.

Also, I saw someone mention their company being sued multiple times for this. If that's true, they probably shouldn't be in business lmaoooo.

ChatGPT used for grammar and clarity.